Even though most of us don’t like to admit it, sometimes we go to college without really knowing what we’re aiming for. Are we aiming for a degree and a possible future in biology? Politics? Engineering? Psychology? Programming? Theatre? Or maybe even literature? This question keeps nagging us until that long-awaited day arrives and it finally hits us! But, sometimes, what hits us is the fact that maybe we chose the wrong program to get in and graduate from.
Maybe you actually like that program but maybe not enough to stay in the field after graduating. This could be because of a variety of reasons. Maybe that’s not where you really see yourself for the rest of your days, and that’s totally fine. If you’re one of the luckier ones, you realize this after your first year in that concentration. You can find your way into another program, or even another university, that really adds up to where you see yourself in the future and switch without thinking about it twice, but that’s not always the case.
In other cases (like mine), people don’t come to this realization until it’s already too late and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it. Maybe you’re already late into your college years, maybe 4th or 5th year. Maybe you’re close to graduating. When this happens, it won’t be easy to change your current major (unless it’s connected in a way with what you’re already studying), or even from your university that late into your studies because not everyone can take that leap. Why? Because not everyone is brave enough to start their higher education over. Another reason, which I think is the most important, is the fact that not everyone has the economic resources nor the time to do so. However, just because you can’t head in that direction with your studies now doesn’t mean that you can’t in the future. It only means that it’s time to have hope and try finding an alternate path towards that new place you’d like to aim for after graduating.
For example, I got into college through Forensic Psychology, because let’s admit it, that’s super interesting and it sounded great during those early days, but then I realized that I really couldn’t see myself working in that field in the future. I needed something related to art, history, languages, cultures or writing (or all of the above). In other words, I had to be in humanities one way or another, so I ended up switching to Comparative Literature and here I am today, trying to survive, but that’s not all. Even when I’m aiming to become an editor, and possibly a writer too, in the future, I’m also aiming to find a way into the world of video games, even though what I’m studying has barely anything to do with it. Interactive storytelling is something I’ve fallen in love within the last few years and the process behind it all is fascinating. But, my point is still the same. Just because you can’t head in that direction now, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to do so in the future, even if it feels like that sometimes.
In the end, what I’m trying to tell you is that you shouldn’t give up on that field of your dreams, even if it means to waste the first years of your professional life on something entirely different from what you’d like. Even though my degree in literature will barely help me get into the world of video games, unless it’s through narrative, that won’t keep me from trying to get at least a certificate in game design in the future and keep on learning from then on. In order to find a way into that dreamy field, you just have to do research, be it about information of what you need to get there, certificates, scholarships, or other universities for the future, and hope for the best. But if you can take that leap and change into that program or place that’s calling you now, do it.